Japan's Tokyo Express Died in One Night at Vella Gulf

The Tokyo Express died in one night at Vella Gulf. Just before midnight on 6 August 1943, six American destroyers waited in the dark under Kolombangara and fired torpedoes before a single gun. Three of four Japanese destroyers were sunk within minutes, and the Imperial Japanese Navy would never again send a destroyer convoy through Vella Gulf to Kolombangara. This documentary covers the Battle of Vella Gulf from the beginning: the Japanese Type 93 Long Lance oxygen torpedo, the Tokyo Express supply runs to Guadalcanal, the American defeats at Savo Island and Tassafaronga, and the cruiser actions at Kula Gulf and Kolombangara. It then follows Commander Frederick Moosbrugger and Task Group 31.2, the destroyers Dunlap, Craven, Maury, Lang, Sterett and Stack, as they reversed the doctrine of night fighting with torpedoes first, radar, flashless powder and the shadow of the shore. Against them were the Hagikaze, Arashi, Kawakaze and Shigure. Every figure comes from the historical record: after-action reports, loss tables and ship histories, with rounded numbers wherever sources differ. This is the whole causal chain, not the highlight reel. Subscribe for the definitive history of the United States in the Second World War — new documentaries every few days. #WW2 #WorldWarII #PacificWar #USNavy #WWIIHistory #LongLance #VellaGulf #TokyoExpress #Guadalcanal #MilitaryHistory #USAInWW2